Suspended CEO’s ‘k-word defence’ for assault on pregnant woman divides SA

Following reports that the businessman who was caught on CCTV assaulting a pregnant woman at the Featherbrooke Village Mall in Ruimsig, Johannesburg, defended his actions on Wednesday by claiming she had called him the k-word, the story has divided South Africans.

Romeo Makhubela, who has been suspended as the chief executive of Novare Consultants, repeatedly slapped Bianca Fourie, who is eight months pregnant, just outside the entrance to a Steers in the mall after an argument over a parking spot.

Romeo Makhubela during the assault on Fourie, right.

He told City Press that he wasn’t a “madman” who’d attacked the woman without cause. He said his side of the story was that Fourie had blocked several cars, and irritated other drivers too.

“It was at this point that a screaming confrontation ensued between the woman and occupants of a car in front of us. During this period the woman was hurling insults at the black occupants in that car,” he reportedly said.

He claimed that, after parking, he made the mistake of confronting “the woman”, who is the daughter of Krugersdorp Freedom Front Plus councillor Amanda de Lange.

“What I was not fully prepared for was that she would turn her rage against me with a barrage of racial slurs.”

He claimed he was called the k-word as well as a “poephol” in front of his children.

He then became overwhelmed with anger and attacked the woman.

Makhubela then opened a case of crimen injuria against Fourie at the Honeydew Police Station, as well as a complaint of racism with the Equality Court, he said.

Fourie’s mother, Councillor De Lange, has, however, claimed the only reason Fourie was assaulted was because she had pointed at Makhubela.

“In hindsight I know that I should not have allowed my anger to control me to a point where it was necessary to slap this woman and I am prepared to issue an unconditional apology to her for doing this,” Makhubela told City Press, though he still demanded action for allegedly being called the k-word “and other racial insults”.

However, many all over social media have responded by either not believing the former CEO, or sympathising with his argument. Some have said that even if the racial abuse happened, the response from Makhubela still deserves prosecution.